The open world gameplay loop wins again.

So, yeah. Fallout 76 finally got me hooked. I’ve written about thisalot. I played the game for review back at launch for the page, and was rather disappointed. Now it feels so much more complete. And I find myself hooked, and even with Wastelanders, I’m enjoying just screwing around

But I’m actually kind of bad at it. Simple things like where the F do I get plans for workshops without paying an arm and a leg to the NPC vendors? I like to keep my CAMP very simplistic and usually build it in a way that uses the environment around it (like building on an abandoned house) but I could really go for the practicality of being able to use my own workshops when I want, and leave them out so friends can stop by and use whatever they want, possibly even chill out.

Most recently I built a CAMP near the train station next to the Top of the World. It’s over the edge of the street and in the swamp, but has a nice little deck that goes over the swamp and I’m itching to decorate it with tables, chairs, and of course, workshops. I also built a little sleep shack, literally a 2×1 floor plan with a bed. I just I gotta add decorations tho.

Also, I have a bit of a silly vending machine.

In real life, I am a… soft drink enthusiast? And in Fallout 76, I like making juice and tea. I also hate the grenades in Fallout, a bit to clunky for me. My solution? My vending machine is called “Bombs n Beverages” I sell beers, liquors, juice, tea, along with frags, mines, molotovs, etc. Not sure if I’m pricing them well but I mainly am good natured so I sell the grenades for a few caps less than the recommended minimum price. For beverages, they range between 10-15 caps. Perhaps someone can help me find all the beverage and bomb plans? That would be nice. I just need to be advised on where I can find these things without paying an arm and a leg, and if my pricing is fair, competitive, or worth anyone’s time. I’ve even debated making a daily FREE beverage, most likely blackberry juice.

Also, finally, I hate crafting in almost every video game and on my first run I never bothered with it. Now I absolutely love building and modifying guns but I run out of the good resources frequently. I’m all set with water, gonna build a purifier soon but for now I have enough radaway to not worry about rads. But I do run out of wood alot. Getting resources is a bit of a time sink for a new player like me. So I’m constantly looking for great places to farm wood or get the good resources like aluminum, adhesive, screws, etc.

What’s the point of this? Well, if you’re ever wondering how the people who enjoy this game continue to play it for as long as they do, this is it right here. They have me stuck in the gameplay loop. It’s quite a time sink, no wonder the people who like it play as long as they do. If I weren’t playing other games, I’m not sure I’d stop. Because I’ll eventually get sick of it. I always do. Come @ me in the comments, if you have advice!

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege is a multiplayer Tactical FPS made by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft, and is a new entry in the series with a focus on competitive multiplayer. You take the role of an operator in one of the many Counter Terrorism Units available in the game, playing either PVP in 5v5 matches, or co-op against enemy AI. While a deeper take on multiplayer is a new way for its series, can it hold up to the name that is the Rainbow Six franchise?

GRAPHICS:2/2

While it is a competitive multiplayer game, Rainbow Six Siege is a beautiful multiplayer shooter, with its maps inspired off common real-life situations, such as houses, cafes, and banks. The levels are really detailed and you can see that Ubisoft worked hard on each map to be unique. Varying in style and immersion, combined with the destruction mechanic, the game can get messy with debris going everywhere, smoke filling the room, and bullet trails nearing your face. It impresses me, all while keeping a stable 60 FPS in PVP, but dropping down to 30 in PVE on consoles.

STORY: 1/2

Because it’s a multiplayer focused game, Rainbow Six Siege lacks a story, which is a bit disappointing, compared to previous installments of the series. The only tidbits of story we get is from each operators’ bios, the initial cinematic, which shows Team Rainbow reinstating due to a terrorist threat, and the final mission in “Situations”, where we are sent to stop a terrorist attack at a university. I believe that this is both a good thing and a bad thing, the bad thing being is that it would have been perfect if it had a story. Maybe if the plot from the now-cancelled Rainbow Six: Patriots was accounted for, we could have had something. But nevertheless, you actually fight this terrorist group in Terrorist Hunt, Siege’s PVE game mode and it’s enough to get you invested at least.

AUDIO: 1/2

The audio in R6S is just okay, while the soundtrack contains some deep beats with bass drops as massive as the walls breached in this game. Definitely not the best soundtrack, but it does capture the serious attitude the game is trying to impose. The best of the audio stands in the gun sounds, most of the guns having distinguishable and realistic sounds, with very few repeats in some of them. The main issue is that you cannot really make out the directional sound of the footsteps sometimes, so using a headset is highly recommended in order to be truly immersed thanks to its audio.

GAMEPLAY: 2/2

For a first-person shooter, the gunplay is way more refined than other games in the genre, mostly because it has a competitive focus as well. Each gun and operator has a unique playstyle, requiring a lot of playtime to master them all. The gunplay and destruction are oddly satisfying, mostly because it shows the attention to detail Ubisoft had when it was in development. It can be played either solo through Situations (short missions with unique objectives) or in Lone Wolf Terrorist Hunt if you got the skills to beat it. Multiplayer features 3 modes; Bomb, Secure Area, and Hostage, all which can be played casually or Ranked, or via Co-Op through Terrorist Hunt in 3 difficulties. A solid experience across all modes in the end.

FUN: 2/2

Rainbow Six Siege is a hard, very deep, fast-growing competitive shooter, but it’s the kind of hard that makes you want to become better. If you aim better and play better, you will find yourself rising in skill and rank on the ladder for each season. Ubisoft is constantly updating the game, with a new competitive season every 3 or so months, with each new season being followed by a giant update drop with 2 new operators (free with the season pass) and a new map. At the moment, Siege has some issues with having 2 season passes and a lack of content. But, while the game may have microtransactions, those are only to get new DLC operators faster (instead of grinding) and weapon skins.

In conclusion, while Rainbow Six Siege may be frustrating at times, it is very fun. This is especially true when playing with friends, which I highly recommend since most random players will avoid communication and land your team swift and fun win.

SCORE: 8/10

(Disclaimer: Review was written in 2017 and had been backdated to reflect release of current DLC)